Year-round Alpine fun at this peaceful home a short hop from the peaks with calm bedrooms, delicious breakfasts and mountain views

B&B as it should be. Home-cooked breakfast in an Aga-warmed kitchen, a comfortable bedroom with garden views, a beach you can walk to

Leave the car, everything is walkable & buses are practically free. Visit restaurants, vineyards & markets from your lofty village bolthole

Beautifully restored house with a literary history, no neighbours and private access to a sandy bay beyond the pines

A 15th-century hotel and spa with beamed lounges and two restaurants, standing proudly on the high street

A stylish base for those who want to explore the beautiful north – expect good food, stylish interiors and a pretty market town

Float in the infinity pool above the canyon, dine under the stars, revel in the silence, head to the Cavagrande di Cassibile Nature Reserve

Three tranquil apartments in the Ria Formosa nature reserve with a stunning natural pool, near to a village and sandy beaches

A lovely old stone house with a covered veranda and sparkling pool in a small hilltop hamlet overlooking a lush forested valley

A friendly, generous, big old house with not an ounce of pretension. Big families will adore gathering here to have fun and unwind

There's a pared-back unforced elegance to this stone barn sitting quietly in its own grounds beside a cobbled courtyard awash with roses

A treat to stay in one half of this unique Grade I listed arch sitting at the estate entrance, just a short walk from the Beckford Arms

Traditional Provencal farmhouse with a large garden and a swimming pool. Historic villages with markets and great restaurants close by

A gorgeously quirky historic building overlooking the bustling harbour with a cracking bar, St Austell ales, superb food and stylish rooms

Tucked away from the busy glamour of the Riviera, come and unwind, from two to twelve people, in a peaceful garden and stone farmhouse

A hilltop setting for this ancient fortress with an illustrious past. You stay in apartments or farmhouses inside or outside the walls

Ease into a slower way of life from this beautiful Tuscan farmhouse surrounded by vineyards in the valley below medieval Montepulciano

Sheep's Head Way is reputedly one of the best walks in Ireland. Come back to roaring fires, a Rayburn, art and style – terrific restorations